Toothbrush



' Nov. 25, 1947. QLBRIGGS R 2,431,606

TOOTHBRUSH Filed June 11, 1946 INVENTOR.

Patented Nov. 25, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TOOTHBRUSH George L. Briggs, Oneida, N. Y.

Application June 11, 1946, Serial No. 675,953

1 Claim.

This invention relates to an improved toothbrush, useful where it is desired to suspend the brush vertically in a rack without deformation of the tufts of bristles.

The usual form of rack in which toothbrushes are placedafter use is provided with a plurality of vertical slots of shape and size to admit the handle of the brush and refuse admission to the bristles. .As a result, the brush is supported by the tufts of bristles which engage the upper surface of the rack and in a short time these tufts become deformed by the weight of the brush, with consequent impairment of the usefulness and appearance of the toothbrush. I am aware that various forms of brush handles have been proposed, where the handle is provided with a protuberance in the region adjacent to, or even remote from, the bristles. While these protuberances serve to keep the working part of the toothbrush from contact with the rack, they all have the disadvantage of interfering with the operation of brushing the teeth.

In my improved toothbrush, instead of an unyielding bulge at or below the junction of the head with the handle of the brush, I provide an additional tuft of bristles, isolated from the workingtuftsanid secured to the handle a convenient distance below the head. Such an additional tuft engages the upper surface of the receptacle in which the brush is racked and thereby supports the brush without in any way interfering with brushing the teeth of the user.

The object of the invention, therefore, is to provide a toothbrush adapted to be used without discomfort. and to be supported vertically in a rack without deformation of the working bristles.

The invention will be understood from the following description, read with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved toothbrush of the invention, and

Figure 2 is a side view of the brush of Figure 1 supported in a rack of usual form.

l n both figures, like numerals identify like parts. Referring now to Figure 1, in head IOof the tog thbrush'indicated generally by the numeral 5 ar secured the usual tufts of bristles-l l. Formcontinuation of head In is handle l2, which :niaylia ve a laterally narrowed portion I3 in the region below bristles l l.

Such lateral narro g 2 of the handle, while commonly provided, is in no way needed when the brush is to be racked in a receptacle vertically slotted to admit the handle.

Additional to tufts l I, I provide an isolated tuft of bristles l4 secured in the handle at a convenient distance below the lowest array of tufts Ii and on the same side of the handle as those tufts. The ofiice of tuft I 4 is clearly shown in Figure 2, where brush 5 is shown supported in rack 45, of conventional design provided with one or more vertical slots such as slot iii. For simplicity, rack'l 5 is shown in vertical section through the portion surrounding slot 16.

As plainly evident from Figure 2, tuft i l engages the upper surface of rack 15 and supports the toothbrush with tufts H clear of the rack surface. Thereby at least two advantages are afforded by the invention; tufts I I are protected from becoming misshapen from bearing the weight of the brush, and contamination of the surface of rack l5 by a residue of toothpaste on tufts H is largely prevented. Moreover, tuft I l being like one of the working tufts H, it may enter the mouth of the user without causing discomfort or interfering with brushing the teeth. It will be understood that while one additional tuft M will accomplish the object of the invention, two or more such tufts side by side may be pro" vided if desired.

I claim:

A toothbrush adapted to be vertically supported in a rack provided with an aperture to receive the brush comprising a head, a plurality of tufts of bristles secured in the head, a handle forming a continuation of the head beyond the tufts, and an additional tuft of bristles secured in the handle near the junction thereof with the head, the additional tuft serving to support the brush by engaging the upper surface of the rack.

GEORGE L. BRIGGS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 

